Hades
by metforce
Summary: A shadowy figure abducts Raven and takes her into the underworld. The remaining Titans must navigate the unexpected to rescue their friend. Some Greek mythology and a game of dodge ball thrown in for good measure.
1. Chapter 1

**Hades**

A shadowy figure abducts Raven and takes her into the underworld. The remaining Titans must navigate the unexpected to rescue their friend. Some Greek mythology and a game of dodge ball thrown in for good measure.

**Chapter 1: Abduction**

"Come on BB find something already!" Cyborg said stretched out on the sectional in front of the TV. Robin and Starfire occupied the other side staring blankly at the screen as Beast Boy slowly waded through the channels. Robin groaned and tilted his head up towards the ceiling.

"OK, I've had enough. Gimme that!" Cyborg leaned over and confiscated the remote from Beast Boy.

"Hey," Beast Boy mildly protested then leaned back in the seat and watched as the channels began swiftly changing under Cyborg's control.

"You gotta work your way through the upper channels. Sometimes there's something good on up there," Cyborg instructed. "What's this?" The screen went dark momentarily before a rather gray scene came into focus. It looked like an old classic black and white horror movie. A cloaked rider on a black stallion galloped from a distance towards the camera. "Hey Raven, you recognize this?"

Raven had camped out in the back of the room in front of a dusty tome she had been saving. She looked up briefly and surveyed the screen then looked back down to her book. "No."

"Give me that." Robin interrupted frustrated with the slow progress of his friends. He grabbed the remote while Cyborg was distracted and began quickly firing through the channels.

"I do not see how you can find anything with the channels changing so fast," Starfire commented. Her eyes strained to keep up with the images flickering in front of them.

"Sumo, cool." Robin settled back in his chair. Beast Boy and Cyborg shrugged lightly and grunted in unison. Starfire grimaced at the bloated bodies grappling on the screen. After a moment the screen flickered and the dark rider they had watched earlier reappeared.

"Raven, your shows back on," Cyborg announced.

"Not interested, TV rots your brains." Raven replied without looking up from her book this time.

"I do not like this show." Starfire leaned over and gently took the controller from Robin's hand. Robin glanced at her briefly then turned back to the screen. Starfire flipped over to the food channel as chef Fuji began wrestling an octopus into a large boiling pot.

"This is my favorite show, cooking with Fuji!" The rest of the boys shrugged and lightly grunted in apparent approval. After several moments the screen flickered and the dark rider appeared again.

"I think the channel-changing mechanism is malfunctioning." Starfire held up the remote and examined it closely. The others looked at her then slowly turned their heads to Raven suspecting she was responsible.

"Hey Raven could you please quite messing with the remote," Cyborg called back to Raven.

Raven glanced up from her book then looked at the screen as the rider quickly approached the camera. The room began to shake each time the horse's hooves struck the ground. Cyborg's suped-up sound system was good but this was ridiculous. The other Titans turned back to the screen as the noise and the shaking increased.

The rider and mount closed in on the camera. His face was cloaked in shadow and his mount was jet black except for a pair of glowing red eyes. Dark puffs of smoke flew from the ground as its hooves sunk into the dark muck. The sound of the galloping hooves became unbearable.

"TURN IT DOWN!" Raven raised her hands to her ears as the sound began to ring in her head.

The galloping stopped as the rider and mount leaped out of the screen and into the room. The rider leaned forward and the mount bounded onto the floor whipping up black wisps of smoke. A quick step and the cloaked rider leaned into the jump as the beast sprang over the sectional towards Raven. The other Titans ducked as the galloping pair flew overhead. The rider leaned back hard on his mount and yanked on the reigns as the beast reared back and skidded to a halt in front of Raven.

Raven stood up and prepared to defend herself from the unexpected intruder. The rider produced a long black whip and swung it over his shoulder. His steed cantered to the side allowing the rider a clear shot at his intended target. Before Raven could react the whip swung forward emitting a low hiss as it wrapped around her torso. The rider released his end and the whip quickly morphed into a large black serpent. Raven groaned as it constricted tightly around her. The serpent's head swung towards Raven's face. It's rhythmic pulsing quickly put her into a trance.

"COME ON!" Robin cried as he vaulted over the sectional towards the hooded rider and his mount. The stallion wheeled around and the rider quickly dismounted to face his first opponent. Robin drew his bow staff and grunted as he swung it at his hooded opponent. The rider crossed his forearms above his head and parried Robin's attack then quickly grasped the pole arm instantaneously turning it to dust. The rider reached out and firmly grasped Robin's shoulder. Robin attempted to break the rider's grip but became overwhelmed by sudden feeling of fatigue. His knees buckled and he fell forward on all fours at the rider's feet.

"ROBIN!" Starfire cried. The boy she knew so fondly was now an elderly man. She rushed forward and laid her hand on Robin's back as she bent over her fallen friend. She looked up at the hooded rider, her face flashed red in anger as her eyes began to burn fluorescent green. "You will pay for what you did to my friend," she snarled.

The rider suddenly morphed into a familiar figure from Starfire's past. "Oh you are such a fool little sister," the voice of Blackfire sneered back. Starfire froze in astonishment. Blackfire delivered a solid roundhouse knocking her across the room and leaving her unconscious. The figure of Blackfire quickly morphed back into the hooded rider.

"Booya," Cyborg cried as he let off a quick blast from his sonic cannon at the intruder. The hooded figure staggered slightly but quickly steadied himself and pulled out a large glass eye from his sleeve. He held the orb up absorbing Cyborg's sonic blast. Cyborg felt a sudden power drain from his system. He could not shut down and collapsed as the orb drained the last of his reserves.

"Well it looks like it's up to me," Beast Boy reluctantly said to himself. He morphed into a gorilla and charged the intruders. The black stallion quickly swung around and delivered a crushing two-footed kick to Beast Boy's chest sending him flying backwards.

The rider looked over to his steed after the last Titan had fallen, "I was wondering if I was going to have to do this all my self." The stallion groaned in disapproval. "No need to get nasty." The rider pulled down his hood revealing a short crop of dark hair and thin goateed face.

"OK, let's get this over with." He turned to Raven who was still transfixed with the serpent that entangled her. The rider strode towards Raven pulling a jar and a pair of tongs from his jacket. He placed the tongs behind Raven's ear an extracted a black withering form. This he stuffed into the jar before screwing the top back on. After placing the tongs back in his jacket the rider grasped the black serpents head. The serpent instantly reverted back into a whip. With a few flicks of his wrist the rider untangled his opponent

Raven slowly emerged from her trance; the smell of burning sulfur filled her nose as she reoriented herself with her surroundings. She looked about at her fallen friends then focused on the intruder who was casually re-wrapping his whip.

"What have you done with my friends," Raven demanded in a low voice barely disguising her anger.

"Sorry, but they didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat for me," the rider replied as he finished re-wrapping his whip. He casually walked over to his mount and placed it on a hook in the saddle gear. The rider turned back to Raven and focused his dark eyes on her. "Are you going to come willingly or am I going to have to drag you off by your hair?"

"My mother always told me never to accept rides from strangers," Raven replied. If there was one thing she hated it was pompous villains. It was time to teach this one a lesson. She gained her focus and prepared to attack. Nothing happened.

The rider raised a clear jar in his one hand. Raven could see a dark slithering form inside it. "I took the liberty of removing your powers. They wouldn't help you against me anyway," the rider continued. "My name is Morpheus and honestly we must be going."

"There's no way I'm going with you," Raven coolly replied.

The black stallion whinnied lowly and menacing took a step towards her. Its eyes were blood red and black wisps of smoke rose up from under its front hooves. Raven gathered her courage and tried to stand her ground.

"I'm not afraid of this monster," Raven sneered. Her eyes remained locked with the stallion.

"Brave girl," Morpheus replied. He folded his arms across his chest. "Actually he's a Nightmare; one of the best in my father's stable. I'm afraid he's in a bit of a hurry to get back to the underworld. Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

Raven broke her stare and turned to Morpheus. Her eyes told him she would not cooperate. Morpheus shrugged his shoulders then smiled. "I admire your foolish courage. He will have his way."

The stallion stepped forward and whinnied loudly. Raven's focus returned back to the approaching beast. The Nightmare's eyes burned red as the smell of sulfur became overwhelming. The beast flared its nostrils and exhaled strongly. The stench of warm decay hit Raven causing her to cough and gasp. The room darkened and screams of agony rose up in Raven's ears.

Her courage began to wane as a sudden wave of panic overwhelmed her. Raven turned to flee from the beast but felt a sharp tug around her neck. Glancing over her shoulder she could see the beast had grabbed the end of her cape with its teeth. She struggled to free herself from the Nightmare's vice-like grip. A sharp tug threw her off balance and in a flash the beast's head was between her legs thrusting her upwards into the air. With a quick flip she was on the beast's back.

With that Morpheus jumped up behind her and placed his one hand tightly around her waist. His other hand grabbed the reigns. He pressed Raven forward and thrust his heals backwards and the mount quickly jolted forward.

A dark porthole opened into which the Nightmare eagerly leaped . Cries of despair echoed in the tower as the porthole quickly closed behind them. Robin rose restored to his former self. He walked over to where the porthole had closed and contemplated his rescue options.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Cerberus**

The porthole opened into a dark cavern. Morpheus guided the steed through a series of caverns. Raven remained quietly defiant. The steed's footsteps echoed in the caverns providing the only sound.

"We have a long ride ahead of us," Morpheus finally spoke. "It might help pass the time if we could talk. My steed's not much of a conversationalist." Their mount turned its head slightly and grunted, then continued to slowly trot along.

"I agree with him, whatever he said," Raven coldly replied.

"I don't think what he just said would come out of a lady's mouth," Morpheus replied with a slight laugh.

"Why don't you fill me in on where we're going?" Raven countered.

"To the underworld, silly," Morpheus replied.

Raven paused for a second then dryly added, "Funny, you don't look like death. You're a bit overweight and missing your scythe."

"That's because I'm not." Morpheus said in annoyance. "I'm in charge of dreams and prophecy. I'm just running an errand for my Dad."

"Your Dad?" Raven asked.

"Yea, you know Hades, lord of the underworld," Morpheus answered. "Sorry about the transportation, you'd think my Dad would let me take the chariot. He never lets me use it," Morpheus said in sudden disgust.

"Sounds like you have issues with your father," Raven countered.

"I think you can relate to that," Morpheus replied.

Raven did not reply. Mentioning her father always brought up mixed emotions. Morpheus pulled lightly back on the reigns bringing them to a stop. He quickly dismounted, pulled the reigns over the Nightmare's head and led the stead further into the cavern.

"What's going on?" Raven inquired half curiously.

"Cerberus," Morpheus tersly answered. "You'll see. Can you hold on to this for me?" Morpheus pulled a white towel out of his jacket and held it up to Raven.

"Sure, I guess," Raven reached down and took it from Morpheus.

Morpheus walked out several yards ahead of them and peered into the darkness. "Cerberus, come on boy. Where are you?" Morpheus called out . His voice echoed in the cavern then silence ensued. Morpheus put his hands on his hips and stared into the empty space in front of him.

From the back of the cavern a faint panting noise arose and then the fast scraping of paws filled the air. A dark hulking three-headed form emerged from the darkness. Eager yelps came from Cerberus' various heads.

"Hey Cerberus, where's that toy I brought you?" Morpheus questioned the great beast. Cerberus focused on Morpheus momentarily then bounded off to one side of the cavern. "Go get it boy," Morpheus cried out in encouragement. Moments later the great beast emerged. Two of the heads were grasping a large trash truck, while the other head yelped happily.

The truck fell with a crash in front of Morpheus. Cerberus sat down behind it and two of its head contentedly gnawed on the truck while the other yelped then began enthusiastically licking Morpheus; the beast's large tongue knocking him off balance.

"Ok boy, knock it off will ya," Morpheus pleaded. Cerberus stopped then its one head began groaning in earnest. "All right, but just for a minute, I've got to get back home." Morpheus walked around to the beast's side and began rubbing. Cerberus's other heads stopped chewing and began contentedly growling and yelping.

Raven looked on in morbid curiosity at this strange scene. "Someone pinch me because I must be dreaming," she half said to herself. The Nightmare grunted and shook its head in reaction to her comment briefly startling its rider. Raven leaned forward and unconsciously began stroking the beast's neck.

Morpheus stopped rubbing Cerberus' side, gave a couple of hard smacks for good measure then turned back and began walking to his mount. He stopped short and held his hand out. Raven threw him the towel. Morpheus caught it and began drying himself off.

"That's pretty gross," she called down to Morpheus.

Morpheus vigorously scrubbed his head dry then pushed the towel against his face and pulled it around to get the back of his neck. "Are you kidding? The mouth is the cleanest part of that beast. Do you know how long it's been since he's had a bath? Beside he doesn't get much company." Morpheus finished toweling himself off, pulled the reigns over the Nightmare's head and handed them to Raven before remounting. Morpheus then took the reigns, pressed his heals back lightly and the Nightmare continued into the cavern leaving Cerberus contentedly chewing on his trash truck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Styx**

Raven could hear the rippling noise of flowing water echo in the caverns ahead of them. The passage opened out and they were soon along the shore of the underground river Styx. Morpheus led them to a rickety pier that extended into the river.

"Where the hell is he," Morpheus said to himself. He dismounted and walked to the edge of the pier looking across the river in obvious annoyance. Raven leaned forward in the saddle and began stroking the Nightmare's neck once again.

Morpheus reached in his pocket and pulled out his flip phone. He looked down at it and walked back towards Raven. He punched a couple of buttons then held the phone up to his ear. After a few seconds Raven could hear a garbled voice. "You're late," Morpheus said curtly into the phone. A garbled voice responded. "No excuses. Chop, chop." Morpheus pulled the phone away from his ear, hung up, flipped the phone closed and stuffed it into his jacket.

He looked up at Raven and said, "Sorry for the delay, our ride's running a bit late. My Dad always goes with the lowest bidder." Raven returned a stunned look. "What's the matter?" the god of dreams continued.

"Sorry, this whole thing is just too weird," she replied after a brief pause.

"What, did you expect gods walking around in togas and playing harps?" Morpheus replied.

"Well, yes," Raven countered.

Morpheus grunted in disapproval walked over towards the shore and sat on a large rock. He folded his arms and stared out over the river waiting for his ride.

Moments later, Morpheus stood up then slowly walked to the dock. A small wooden ship came around the bend. Raven dismounted, pulled the reigns over the Nightmare's head then led him to the dock.

The boat looked barely seaworthy. It was rather long with a flat deck and one mast. In the back of the boat was a raised platform. The boat eased up to the end of the pier and an elderly man quickly lowered a plank. Morpheus walked up the plank and onto the boat.

"You're late Charon," Morpheus said curtly. The elderly boatman grunted and held out his hand. Morpheus walked right by him. "Hey wait a minute," Charon said in a croaky voice. "I don't care who you are you owe me passage." Charon turned as Morpheus made his way to the raised platform on the back of the boat.

"It's a tin roof old man," Morpheus cried.

"What?" Charon responded.

"It's on the house," Morpheus replied.

Raven led the Nightmare to the edge of the gangplank and halted. Charon looked down at her then waved her up. She ran up the gangplank which bowed under her and the Nightmare's weight. The boat rocked slightly as both of them made their way on board. Raven released the reigns and the Nightmare walked slowly to the middle of the craft. Charon pulled the plank back onto the boat.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything to pay my passage," Raven cautiously said to the elderly boatman. Charon stood up and grunted in annoyance. "You can have my belt," Raven meekly offered. Charon cackled briefly then cleared his throat. "My lady, what would I do with that?"

"If you two are done with your introductions I'd like to get going," Morpheus called down in annoyance. He had grabbed the large steering oar at the back of the boat.

"Why you little…," Charon said lightly then paused as he looked back at Raven. "Excuse the language my Lady. That boy's got me all worked up at the moment."

"That's ok, I understand," she replied. Charon walked back to the mast and unfurled the main sail. A cool breeze blew up and the boat slowly pulled away from the dock.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Pursuit**

Cyborg's light pierced the darkness as Robin led the remaining Titans through the caverns. "Ok, what are we looking for again?" Cyborg asked.

"Unusual power signals. The entrance to the underworld is somewhere in this cavern according to legend," Robin replied. His voice echoed slightly.

Cyborg glanced down at his scanner and frowned. "I hope you're right on this one Robin. My scanners aren't picking up anything."

"Robin, is this the unusual you are seeking?" Starfire suddenly called out from the darkness.

The others walked over to where Starfire stood. Against the wall was a large star warp pattern.

"Well what do you think?' Robin asked the others.

"What have we got to loose?" Cyborg replied. One by one they walked through the doorway into the underworld.

All four emerged into a large dimly lit cavern. In front of them a hulking beast was chewing contentedly on a large trash truck. The beast glanced up then stood and emitted a low growl.

Beast Boy froze in horror; in front of him stood a large three-headed dog that was very angry. Its body was the size of an elephant with black matted fur. Each of the beast's heads was deformed. The left head had sickly yellow eyes that glowed dully in the gloom. The middle had a deranged look; its pupil off focus and out of proportion. White froth oozed from its mouth and dripped down onto the cavern floor. The right head had piercing red eyes and jagged spiky teeth that jutted out at odd angles from its mouth.

"I hope you guys have all had your shots," Beast Boy dully announced.

"Come on team, the bigger they are the harder they fall!" Robin cried. He pulled out his bow staff and charged the beast. Beast Boy transformed into T-rex and followed Robin.

Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at the middle head. The beast shook his head as if a fly had landed on it. "How come I knew that was going to happen," Cyborg stated then watched as Robin and Beast Boy attacked.

The beast's right head clamped down hard on Robin's bow staff as he tried to swing around the side of the beast. Robin held on tightly as his momentum swung him to the side. The beast then swung his head forward jolting Robin back towards his original direction. He lost his grip and flew helplessly in the air past a startled Beast Boy. Robin skidded to a stop on the ground in front of Cyborg then sat up. His chewed up bow staff landed by his feet shortly afterwards. "That's two in one day," Robin said dejectedly.

Beast Boy skidded to halt at the front of the beast. Seeing no backup he quickly beat a hasty retreat to his teammates.

Beast Boy morphed back into himself as he returned to the group. Robin remained seated with his two hands propping up his head.

"Well, the full frontal assault didn't work," Cyborg said dejectedly. "Anyone else have any bright ideas?"

Robin looked up at the snarling beast. "We just have to find the right spot to hit it," he replied.

An idea flashed through Starfire's mind. "That's it Robin!" she cried then flew off towards the beast. Cerberus lunged at her, but Starfire easily avoided the snapping jaws and disappeared from view. The beast froze and its snarling and barking came to a sudden halt. Its eyes were suddenly filled with ecstasy and groans of pleasure soon erupted as the beast fell on its side.

Robin stood up puzzled at the turn of events. He and the others walked around their fallen opponent to see what had become of their friend. They found her scratching the side of the great beast vigorously with both hands. The hind quarters of the animal where jostling in rhythm with Starfire's hands.

"Good work Starfire," Robin said with a slight smirk when he realized what she had done.

"Girl, what is it with you and strange animals?" Cyborg stated as he shook his head in disbelief. Cyborg turned to Beast Boy. "Now why didn't you think of that?"

"Umm, I would have, eventually," Beast Boy meekly replied.

"Yea right, in a million years maybe," Cyborg countered.

"Come on let's go," Robin called as he disappeared further down the passage. Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly followed.

Starfire stopped scratching the beast and followed her friends. Cerberus slowly stood up and turned around and whimpered in protest. Starfire halted briefly. The creature eyes grew soft and more whimpering ensued. Starfire started back drawn by the creature's pathetic cries.

Robin came back and grasped Starfire's arm dragging her back. "Come on Star, there's no time for this!"

Cerberus reluctantly lay down resting his heads on his front paws and sighed as he watched Robin and Starfire disappear into the caverns beyond.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Hades' Stable**

Morpheus said little as they crossed the Styx. Both of he and his captive remounted the Nightmare on the opposite shore and made the short trip to the stables. A transparent figure emerged when they arrived. He was dressed in a smart looking overcoat and pants with long black boots.

"Welcome home master Morpheus, my Lady," the shade formally addressed them in a slight English accent. He grasped the Nightmare's bit as Morpheus dismounted.

"We're finished with him, you can take him back to the stable James," Morpheus said curtly. He pulled out his phone, flipped it open and began checking his messages.

Raven leaned forward and stroked the Nightmare's long neck with her hand. "I don't care what he said, I enjoyed your company," she quietly confided to the beast then slide off to the side and onto the ground. The Nightmare turned slightly and shook its head in apparent approval.

"Master Morpheus, your mother would have a word with you," James sternly addressed the young immortal. Morpheus continued to concentrate on his phone. His one hand shot up as James spoke, his fingers and thumb forming a puppet hand that mocked his speech. James halted at this display and shot a disapproving glare. "Very well, good day Master Morpheus, my Lady." He nodded his head slightly towards Raven then turned and led the Nightmare towards the stable.

Morpheus continued to concentrate on his phone as the Nightmare was led away. The beast lumbered by and halted. Morpheus' face suddenly froze in pain. "Ouch you stupid pest, you're standing on my foot!" Morpheus cried in agony. The beast then stepped forward and halted once again. Morpheus continued to wince in agony. "Now you're on my other foot!" There was a loud swoosh as the Nightmare's tail swung around solidly striking Morpheus's face. "Ouch…Ouch…ALRIGHT I'M SORRY NOW PLEASE GET OFF MY FOOT!" The beast halted his assault having extracted the proper response then trotted towards the stable following James. "Well done, now let's get you settled in and washed up," James addressed the beast as they continued into the stable.

Morpheus gingerly lowered himself to the ground still wincing in pain as he tried to rub the feeling back into his feet. He looked up at Raven who had covered her mouth with one hand. "Don't even…" Morpheus began. With that Raven erupted in laughter. Morpheus looked down dejectedly as Raven tried to compose herself.

"I'm sorry but that was too much," Raven offered her hands and helped Morpheus to his feet. He leaned heavily on her and took a few halting steps. "Who knew the gods could be so much fun?" she continued.

"Well it wasn't much fun for me," Morpheus countered. "Oh man, I hope that's not what I think it is on my boots," he said as he looked down at his feet. That comment produced another round of laughter from his captive. "I don't see what's so funny. Didn't you just touch my hands?"

Raven frowned as she realized what had happened. "Gross, where's the nearest sink."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Paying the Ferryman**

The other Titan's stood on the rickety dock as a dilapidated boat slowly made its way towards them. "Ok, what's going on now?" Beast Boy asked.

"We're on the river Styx. We have to cross over it to enter the underworld," Robin calmly answered.

"And you have to pay me to cross," the croaky voice of Charon interrupted. The boat pulled up to the dock.

"Ok, Titans what do we got?" Robin addressed the others.

Cyborg returned and exasperated look. "Does this suit look like it has pockets?"

"I have one tremississ," Starfire extracted an odd-shaped green coin and held it up for Charon to inspect.

Charon's face grimaced in disapproval. "Sorry, no foreign currency."

"What!" Starfire angrily protested. "This coin would buy a small castle on my world!"

"How about you Beast Boy?" Robin asked hopefully.

Beast Boy started digging into his one pocket. "Let's see," Beast Boy pulled his hand from his pocket. It held a rubber band, a couple of paper clips and a wadded up piece of paper."

"What's in the paper?" Cyborg inquired.

"A piece of double strip gum, a hero never knows when he'll need minty-fresh breath."

Cyborg slapped his face in disgust. "Try your other pocket," Robin requested.

"If you knew about this, why didn't you plan for it?" Beast Boy said in minor protest. "I think I have a couple of quarters," he extracted his hand and produced a card. "Nothing." Beast Boy looked up at Charon who stood on his boat awaiting payment. "Tough luck cheapskate, looks like we'll have to swim for it."

Beat Boy prepared to dive into the river when Robin jolted him back. "You can't do that." Robin scolded. "If you touch that water you'll forget everything."

"Go ahead Beast Boy, you've got nothing to loose," Cyborg said dryly. Beast Boy shot him an angry glare.

"Well it looks like your little adventure has come to an end doesn't it," Charon chided. "Now be off with you!"

"Beast Boy what's that card you've got," Robin inquired.

Beast Boy's face suddenly flushed with pride. "Oh it's my duel-king ultimate card; a third-level storm dragon demi-master. It took me almost one hundred packs to find it!" His eyes glazed over in ecstasy.

"What was that?" Charon inquired with sudden interest.

"Huh, no way! You're not getting this!" Beast Boy quickly countered. He jerked the card behind him cradling it with both hands.

Cyborg snuck up behind Beast Boy and quickly swiped it from Beast Boy's grasp. "Here you go Robin, one ticket to paradise." Cyborg handed the card to Robin, his other hand quickly clasped Beast Boy's head as he frantically flailed his hands in a vain attempt to recover his card.

Robin briefly inspected the card then handed it to Charon. "Ok, why do you want this?" he asked the ferryman who quickly snatched it from his hand. A wide smile washed over the elderly boatman's face as he confirmed Beast Boy's claim.

"Oh we duel every Friday night," a cackling laughter ensued. "I'll finally be able to beat them all!' He exclaimed as he made his way to the back of the boat. "One moment please, I need to tidy up." He reached the back of the boat and opened a secret latch. Upon pushing it the boat instantaneously transferred into a fine white yacht.

Charon emerged in front of them and lowered the gang plank. "Welcome aboard heroes!" He was now dressed in a tidy white captain's uniform. The Titans made their way onto the boat. "Welcome aboard, please sit." Charon directed them to a row of seats in the front of the boat. One by one the Titans took their seats. Beast boy folded his arms and glared disapprovingly.

"May I offer you a light snack or drink? No strings attached of course." Charon produced two trays one with drinks and another with finger foods. Robin, Cyborg and Starfire helped themselves. Beast Boy continued to glare ahead angrily.

"Come on Beast Boy lighten up will ya," Cyborg demanded. Beast Boy held his stance, shifted his eyes to Cyborg then quickly turned away. "Suit yourself, more for the rest of us to enjoy."

"Is everyone settled?" Charon shouted from behind the wheel. The others nodded. "Ok, hold on." Charon gunned the engine as the horn sounded Chopin's funeral march as the boat sped away from the dock.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Hades Castle**

Morpheus casually strode down the pathway towards the castle's front door. Raven was engrossed in her surroundings. The classic Gothic structure of the castle enthralled her. Raven admired the tortured figures incorporated into the structure, the dying topiary of castle's gardens and the overall gloom of her surroundings. Her attention was so consumed that she staggered into Morpheus who had paused in front of castle's main gate. She turned and quickly noticed the large gargoyle statues guarding each side of the massive entrance. She sighed in disbelief.

Morpheus noticed her reaction. "Yes, dreadful isn't it." He took in his surroundings with a disappointed look. "It's my father's work after all. I'm sorry but in his line of work it's all doom and gloom I'm afraid."

"Actually, I kind of like it," Raven cautiously replied

Morpheus stood momentarily surprised by her response. "I think you're the first person I've ever heard say that. You're going to like meeting my father."

Raven sighed again more deeply as Morpheus' reply reminded her of her plight. "I guess he's inside, huh."

"Don't be silly, he's hardly ever here. You'll have to wait for him," Morpheus replied. He pulled his phone out of his jacket, opened it and quickly punched a few buttons. "Hey Mom, can you open the front door? Thanks." He quickly hung up, folded his phone then jammed it back into his pocket.

Raven watched in quiet disbelief. Morpheus noticed this and quickly smiled and cocked his head. "What?"

"Nothing," Raven looked away slightly uncomfortable at his sudden smile.

"You're going to have to get used to immortal's using 21st century technology," he countered.

"I'm not sure if I can," Raven answered half laughing at the situation.

With that there was a loud clack as the front doors slowly opened. "Come on. The inside's much nicer," Morpheus motioned her forward and Raven entered the front door into a dark corridor. At the far end white light streamed down the hallway. Morpheus led them towards the light.

The inside of the castle was bathed in bright sunlight. The hall emptied into a large formal garden. A stone patio lay before them. Morpheus made his way to a simple stone table in the center of the patio. Smoke wisped from of a large clay oven situated to one side of the patio. A woman stood by the stove pulling loaves of bread out and placing them into a wicker basket. She was dressed in a light green toga. Her dark hair was pulled up into a bun that was held with several large silver pins.

"Hey Mom," Morpheus casually announce his presence. He removed his jacket, tossed it onto the table and took a seat. He wore a white muscle shirt that smartly covered his slim cut frame.

The woman continued loading her basket without looking up. "Morpheus, did you wipe your feet before you came in?" she inquired.

"Umm," he glanced over at Raven slightly embarrassed.

The woman turned around and made her way towards the table holding the basket of freshly baked bread. "Honestly, Morpheus. How many times must I tell you to wipe your feet before coming in here? Who knows what you're dragging in," she lightly scolded him. "Pick that jacket up off the table, our guests will be her soon." Morpheus sheepishly dragged his jacket off the table and threw it over his chair."

"Hello Raven, I'm Morpheus' mother Persephone. I hope my son has treated you well," she said in a welcoming voice.

"Yes, he's been pretty good to this point all things considered." Raven replied.

"That's good. Don't be fooled, he can be a charmer when he wants to be, just like his father." She looked over to Morpheus who quickly scrunched down in his chair in embarrassment. "Come on Mom!" he meekly protested. She smiled back at him taking pleasure from her chiding.

"Raven may I interest you in some fresh-baked bread?" Persephone offered her basket.

"No thanks, I don't think I can right now," Raven replied.

"Mom, can we wait in my room?" Morpheus quickly suggested looking for refuge from any further embarrassment.

"Sure. I'll let you know when our other guests arrive." Persephone returned back to the clay oven and Morpheus stood up and led Raven down another path through the garden.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Knocking Down the Door**

"It was nice of Charon to drop us off so close to the front door," Starfire said. The rest of the Titans made their way thought the front gardens towards the castle's main entrance.

"That's because of my card," Beast Boy burst out in anger. "Raven owes me a month's worth of bathroom duties for this. I can't believe I lost that card before I even got a chance to play it!"

"Are you finished?" Robin countered.

"Yea, I think so," Beast Boy glumly answered. "Man this place is gloomy."

"Well what do you expect from the king of the underworld?" Cyborg countered. "I don't know guys but I think we're going to have a hard time getting Raven out of here, willingly."

The Titans arrived in front of the massive doors to the castle. "Well now what?" Beast Boy asked unsure how to proceed.

"Well, I vote for a dramatic entrance," Cyborg said as he walked over to one of the massive gargoyle statues. He proceeded to pick it up and lower it into battering position. Beast Boy quickly morphed into a gorilla and joined in. The two boys leveled the statue, then retracted it and thrust it into the door. A large crash echoed in the courtyard. The doors shook but do not give. Cyborg and Beast Boy retracted their makeshift ram and thrust it back into the door. The statue's head broke off on the ensuing strike. Beast Boy and Cyborg quickly stopped and leveled the remains of the statue.

"That's not good," Cyborg said slightly concerned.

"Put it back someone's coming to the door," Robin cried. Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly put the statue back in its place. Starfire grabbed the head and flew up to replace it just as the doors swung open.

"Welcome Titans," Persephone happily greeted them. "Please come in we've been expecting you."

"Um, thanks," Robin sheepishly said as he and the others filed through the massive doors. Persephone closed the door behind them causing the decapitated head to fall to the ground and shatter.

"Did you have trouble finding the place?" Persephone inquired as she lead the Titans through the front corridor.

"No, Charon was kind enough to show us to the front door," Starfire replied. She took the front spot with Persephone as they walked down the darkened hallway. "That was very nice of him." Persephone continued as she led them into the courtyard.

"Wow, this is not what I expected from the outside," Cyborg commented as the rest of the Titans surveyed the unusual scene.

Persephone laughed lightly. "I can't tell you how many people have said that to me. Please sit down and relax. I have some freshly baked bread if anyone is hungry."

Cyborg and Beast Boy rushed to seat themselves and began helping themselves. "Man nothing like a good meal after a long journey, huh Beast Boy?" Cyborg grabbed a roll and handed the basket to Beast Boy. "I couldn't agree more," Beast Boy replied happily.

"Please," Starfire interrupted, "is Raven inside this castle?"

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself." Persephone answered. "I'm Persephone, Morpheus' mother. Both of them are upstairs in his room. You can go up and let them know you're here."

Starfire and Robin return a confused look. Persephone pointed towards a path leading further into the garden. "It's down that path, past the fountain and up the stairs; the second door on the left." Robin and Starfire nodded in acknowledgment and headed down the path to find Raven.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Discussions**

Morpheus pulled the latch and threw open the door to his room. The heavy door swung back slowly revealing darkness. Morpheus reached over and taped the light switch. It pulsed in response to his touch bringing the room lights up to a bright pitch before fading slightly. Raven hung at the entrance surveying the cavernous room.

The walls were pitch black preventing an accurate gauge of the room's dimensions. Paintings of various styles hung on the walls highlighted by ceiling lights. Morpheus turned to his guest who was stranded at the doorway. "You can come in, I don't bite." He gave a slight smile then turned and made for the bed that lay on the far side of the room. Raven entered cautiously as Morpheus sprawled out on his bed.

"So this is the room of the god of dreams?" Raven cautiously said.

"An immortal with realm over dreams; your kind has outgrown the gods label," Morpheus explained. "The dream thing was my Dad's idea. He wanted mortals to experience the darkness of death in their sleep to prepare them for the underworld."

"That's pretty depressing." Raven countered. She knew how overbearing fathers could be.

"Yea, but my Mom gave me a paint set that allowed mortals to add color to their dreams," Morpheus countered.

"Your parents seem like complete opposites," Raven commented. "How do they get along with each other?"

"Oh they get along great. You know the old saying, opposites attract," Morpheus answered.

"You're lucky; my parents could never get along. It was kind of like a one-night attraction thing with them," Raven countered. She never really felt comfortable discussing her parents' odd relationship.

"Hey it's not all fun and games here. My dad works long hours and he's hardly ever around," Morpheus mildly complained. "He's usually in a good mood while my Mom's here but she's only here for part of the year. My Dad's miserable when she's gone. Music?" Morpheus fished out a black remote as he swung his feet onto the floor and pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Sure," Raven made her way over towards a red camelback couch located a comfortable distance from her captor. She sat down on one end then swung her feet up onto the couch and drew her knees to her chest.

Morpheus pointed the remote to the far side of the room and stereo lights flickered to life and the sounds of an acoustic guitar filled the room. Raven listened closely trying to recognize the tune. She looked over to Morpheus who was sitting on the bed with his back to the wall glancing at a large sketch pad. He looked up and noticed Raven's curious look. "It's What You Want. I downloaded it from the band's website." Raven shot him another odd look. "It was legal," Morpheus quickly countered.

Raven shook her head and smiled. "Sorry it's that 21st century thing again."

Morpheus frowned then picked up the remote and tossed it onto the couch at Raven's feet. "You can pick the next song." Morpheus said. He picked up his sketch pad and flipped through the pages quietly inspecting his work.

Raven sat contentedly listening to the song then picked up the remote just as the song began to fade out. Upon inspection she noticed it did not have any visible buttons on it. "How does this thing work?"

Morpheus continued to flip through the pages of his sketch pad. "Just concentrate on a song and it should play. Nothing too loud or you'll blow my speakers out. It's a lame system but my Dad confiscated the last one."

"Why?" Raven inquired.

"It was too loud; it interrupted my Dad's card game," Morpheus casually answered.

"What?" Raven rested her chin on her knees as she considered Morpheus' offence.

"When my Mom's out my Dad likes to play cards. It takes the edge off his temper," Morpheus explained.

"Ok, who comes here to play cards?" Raven became mildly interested.

"Just a bunch of demons, your Dad sometimes. Immortals love to gamble," Morpheus casually answered. "Song's up, your turn."

Raven held up the remote and the stereo began to play her selection. She tossed the remote back to Morpheus hitting the bed with a soft thump. Morpheus looked up and listened to Raven's selection then shook his head. "This guy's a major head case. I liked him better when he was with The Smiths." Morpheus turned his attention back to his sketch pad.

"What do you mean?" Raven said mildly annoyed with his comment.

"Come on, the boredom with life, the wishing for bombs and Armageddon to come and end everything. It's positively depressing. I'll never understand why so many mortals have death wishes," Morpheus added.

"So you hate it?" Raven replied.

"No, I like Morrissy," he replied.

Raven frowned at his response then rested her chin on her knees. "What's my Dad like?"

"Deranged, morbid, moody; he's pretty much like the rest of the demons down here. He can also be very quiet and calculating; a good card player according to my Dad. I try and stay away from their card games; they can get pretty nasty with all of the cheating and drinking." Morpheus began sketching on his pad.

Raven smiled. "So my Dad took your Dad to the cleaners?"

"Yea, that's part of the reason you're here. My Dad settled his debt by taking you hostage," Morpheus explained.

"Figures," Raven coldly replied. "So how long am I stuck in purgatory?"

"Hey, I thought I was a pretty good host," Morpheus replied slightly hurt by Raven's comment. "Don't get too down; others have made it out of here. Your friends are on their way; you may get out of here yet."

"My friends?" Raven asked with slight hope.

"Yes. If there's one thing you've done right to this point in your life it's choosing great friends," Morpheus replied as he continued to sketch on his pad.

"Song's up, your turn," Raven announced as her song faded out.

Morpheus picked up the controller and an acoustic guitar again broke the room's silence. Raven didn't recognize Morpheus' song selection. "What's this?"

"Trouble; it's the title track from some guy from Maine. He apparently woke up on day and decided to become a musician. At least that's what his website says." Morpheus continued to sketch on his pad.

Raven looked over and noticed Morpheus sketching. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Morpheus looked up and smiled.

Raven swung her feet on the floor and approached Morpheus. She stopped and held out her hand demanding to see what he was working on.

"It's not completely finished." Morpheus handed her the pad. Raven turned it over and saw a rough sketch of her riding the Nightmare. "What do you think?"

She paused and looked at his work in more detail. "I like it," she replied. "Why are you drawing me?"

"Why not? Morpheus snickered and gently took his sketch pad from her. "You're an interesting subject. Plus you've got great eyes; very dark and calm." Morpheus looked up seductively then went back to his pad and continued drawing.

Raven blushed and quickly lowered her eyes. She went back to the couch, resumed her position and listened to Morpheus' selection.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Wager**

Robin and Starfire came to the door Persephone had directed them to. Faint music could be heard from the next room. Robin grasped the door latch, depressed it and pushed the door open.

The music grew louder but it was not overwhelming; These Things played from a small sound system glowing faintly in one corner of the room. On the far side of the room a young man was seated on a bed hunched over a large sketch pad resting on his knees. His hair was short and a thin goatee covered his face. His attention was focused on a camelback couch situated between him and the doorway.

Raven's cape and gauntlets were draped over the back or the couch; her boots lay on the floor to one side. A bare leg and foot rested on one side on the couch, on the other end Raven's head rested on her hand.

Raven's head swiveled around shortly after the door opened. "Hey guys," she causally greeted them. "Where's BB and Cyborg?"

"Um, hey Raven, Morpheus?" Robin said hesitantly, uncomfortable with the scene unfolding in front of him. Morpheus casually raised his hand acknowledging their greeting then returned his attention back to his sketch pad.

"They're downstairs eating," Starfire quickly answered.

"What!" Raven's eyes opened wide in horror. She jumped up, grabbed her cape, shoved her feet into her boots and scooted across the floor until theywere firmly in place. Without a word she sprinted past her friends and out the door.

Morpheus sighed, put down his sketch pad as the music suddenly halted. "Well, I guess I'll finish this later."

Beast Boy and Cyborg sat contentedly at the table. Persephone had brought them more bread and a fruit basket. Beast Boy looked up and noticed Raven sprinting towards them. "Here comes Raven." Cyborg turned to see her coming. "She looks like she's in a hurry. Wonder what's up?"

Raven made it to the patio and collapsed in a chair panting fiercely attempting to catch her breath. Cyborg and Beast Boy sat indifferently. Beast Boy grabbed an apple from the basket and took a bite.

Raven cringed then frowned at her friend's actions. "You can't eat anything," she gasped straining to catch her breath, "or you'll be stuck here forever."

Cyborg and Beast Boy froze momentarily absorbing Raven's announcement. Both looked at each other in fear. "Oh no I've eaten forbidden fruit!" Beast Boy proclaimed.

Persephone walked over to the table and placed a small saucer in front of Raven with a lemon slice on it. "Oh that's only my husband's food. This has no strings attached." Persephone put a tea cup on the saucer then a small metal strainer along the cup rim.

"Really?" Raven looked up in surprise. Persephone nodded and held up a small steaming kettle. "Yes please," Raven answered feeling slightly relieved; at least her friends would not suffer her fate.

Morpheus led Robin and Starfire back to the patio shortly afterwards. "Was it something I said?" Morpheus posed his question to Raven regarding her sudden exit. Raven returned an annoyed look then took a sip of tea.

"Morpheus filled us in on what's going on." Robin took a seat at the table.

"Is there no way we can return to the surface world with our friend?" Starfire asked

"I'm afraid not", Persephone replied "My husband's a bit stubborn on these points. But I might be able to work something out when he gets back."

"We will not leave without our friend," Starfire quickly countered slightly annoyed with the situation.

"Well, it looks like we have house guests," Morpheus dryly announced.

"Wanna bet?" Raven quickly countered.

"Bet?" Morpheus replied with a small smirk.

"Wait, I don't want to be stuck here for the rest of my life," Beast Boy blurted out. "I'm too young to be dead!" Cyborg quickly smacked the back of Beast Boy's head. Beast Boy regained his composure. "Thanks, I needed that."

"Any time," Cyborg happily replied.

"Sorry I'm not interested in souls," Morpheus replied. His eyes drooped as he suddenly lost interested in Raven's proposal.

"How about our stereo system?" Raven countered.

"No, not that!" Cyborg blurted out half in tears.

"Come on Cyborg, it's for Raven," Beast Boy mocked Cyborg's distress.

"It would look good in my room," Morpheus started to consider the offer. "I'm not sure though, my Dad would be pissed." He looked over at Raven trying to extract more.

"Ok, how about we throw in the game consul," Raven countered.

Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg gasped in horror.

"You've got a deal." Morpheus extended his hand to Raven to seal it.

"One condition, we chose the challenge," Raven withheld her hand.

"Sure, what can you possibly come up with to beat me," Morpheus confidently replied. He shook Raven's hand sealing the deal between them.

Raven turned to her fellow Titan's, "Ok, guys we need to come up with something we can beat this guy at."

"I've got it," Beast Boy quickly blurted out, "dodge ball!"

Raven paused in horror. "Are you always this stupid or is this a special occasion." Beast Boy returned a puzzled look.

"Dodge ball," Morpheus laughed accepting Beast Boy's strange challenge. "Perfect, it's so _non sequitor_."

Beast Boy laughed reacting to Morpheus' assessment. "No dude, it's called dodge ball." The others groaned at Beast Boy's reply.

"Beast Boy be quiet, you're embarrassing us." Cyborg shot an annoyed look at his friend. Beast Boy shrugged unsure of what he had done wrong.

"You kids will have to do that outside; I don't want anything broken in here," Persephone announced. "I'll send James over to keep an eye on you."

"Come on Mom, we'll behave," Morpheus protested. Persephone shot a motherly glare at her son who quickly backed down. "All right, we'll be outside."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Gym Curse**

Morpheus led the Titans out a side door into what appeared to be a high school gym complete with pale yellow walls and well varnished floor. The doors slammed behind them echoing slightly before the hum of the florescent lights took over. Overhead the dim gray sky of the underworld gave them all a feeling they were in some forbidden pit.

Raven surveyed her surroundings and was overwhelmed with a strange sense of dread that she hadn't had since her last gym class. "All I need is my gym uniform and the nightmare will be complete," she mumbled to herself.

"Splendid idea," Morpheus walked by her and raised his hand.

In an instant the Titans costumes had changed. Raven wore black shorts with a pink T-shirt embroidered with "Azerak Girl's Academy" in black letters. Robin wore blue shorts with a white shirt with "Gotham High" stenciled across it. Cyborg wore gray sweat pants and an oversized hooded sweater with "State" printed across it. Beast Boy had purple shorts and a yellow T-shirt with "Zoo Cleanup Crew" on it. Morpheus wore a white shirt with Dream Academy nicely stenciled across it with oversized shorts.

"This gym class must be horrible!" Starfire cried. Her uniform consisted of dingy gray shorts and a long-sleeve shirt that were both too large for her.

Beast Boy looked down inspecting his uniform and shrieked. "Hey, that's not funny!"

Raven looked down then glared at Morpheus. "Can you take any more dignity away from me?"

Morpheus smiled slyly at her. "Hey, at least you're fully clothed in this nightmare." Raven quickly blushed and looked away.

"We'll need a referee," Morpheus announced to the group. "I'll be fair on this point. I choose Aeacus." An elderly man in a white toga appeared. In his right hand he held a small sapling.

The other Titans turned to Raven. "He's one of the judges of the dead; he's fair," she explained.

"Please, what is the purpose of this game?" Starfire inquired.

"The objective is to hit your opponents with the ball to get them out. The team that eliminates all their opponents first wins," Robin explained.

"That sounds simple," Starfire replied.

"It's also a lot of fun," Beast Boy added then turned to Morpheus who had taken his place on the other side of the gym. "Hey dream boy we've got you slightly outnumbered!" he taunted the immortal.

Morpheus walked towards the Titans. "Yes, it does seem you have a slight numerical advantage. All right, I'll add a few players to my side to make it even."

Morpheus raised his hand and two shades quickly appeared. One was a rather tall, thick fellow with dark hair in a pinstripe baseball uniform. The other wore tight leotard pants and a white muscle shirt covering a small but well built frame.

Cyborg and Robin gawked as they recognized their long-dead heroes from the past.

"It can't be," Cyborg stammered. "You're the sultan of swat! But you've been dead for decades!"

Beast Boy looked at the pair in curiosity, "Who are these guys?" he asked in frustration as he again failed to see the significance of the situation.

"What do you mean you don't know this guy? He was one of the best baseball players to ever wear the pinstripes! His home run record stood for almost 50 years." Beast Boy looked again then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh man, you don't know anything!" Cyborg said in frustration.

"Hey don't forget I was a pretty good pitcher with the socks," the shade said in a thick Brooklyn accent.

"I can't believe it," Robin stammered recognizing the other shade as the greatest escape artist of the 20th century.

"Ok, who's the other guy," Beast Boy glumly said expecting another lecture.

"Ah come on!" Robin mocked the others who didn't recognize him either. "This guy is one of the greatest escape artists of all time. Every magician pays homage to him. There wasn't a jail cell, box or straightjacket this guy couldn't get out of."

The shade laughed nervously and waved his hands as if pleading with Robin to stop, "Oh please do go on. It's been a long time since anyone sang my praises."

"I hate to breakup this love fest but I do have a stereo to win," Morpheus walked between the parties to gain their attention. "Let's get started." Morpheus held up his hand and a red ball instantly appeared in it. "My court, we go first." Morpheus causally tossed the ball to the man in the pinstripes. "James, can you hold on to this for safe keeping?" Morpheus held up the jar that held Raven's powers and shouted up towards James who was sitting at a table along one of the court's outer edges.

James looked up from his newspaper, "Oh I suppose, if I have to." The jar containing Raven's powers appeared on the table.

"I can't believe I'm playing dodge ball for my soul," Raven groaned in disgust.

"Don't worry Raven, the boys will come through for you," Cyborg confidently said.

"I have no powers and I hate this game," Raven added sourly.

"I don't care who dream boy conjured up, we're so gonna wipe the floors with these guys!" Beast Boy began mock dodging. The red ball suddely smashed into his face knocking him down. Robin and Cyborg hunched over their friend who lay sprawled out on the floor.

"Hey Aeacus, no head hunting!" Cyborg protested. Aeacus waved his finer in disapproval.

Robin and Cyborg pulled their woozy friend to his feet. "Did anyone get the number of that truck?" Beast Boy said as he struggled to stand up. Shortly afterwards the red ball smacked him in the groin. Beast Boy whimpered softly then collapsed in a heap as Robin and Cyborg grimaced in mutual pain.

Aeacus walked over and touched Beast Boy who was curled in the fetal position on the floor making him disappeared.

"Ok, where did he go?" Cyborg asked slightly concerned. Aeacus pointed behind them towards the ceiling. The remaining Titans looked up and saw Beast Boy meekly waving to them hunched over the top of the back wall.

"Ok Harry, who should we get next?' the man in the pinstripes asked squeezing the red ball between his hands deforming it.

The man in tights surveyed the remaining players on the Titan's side. "Well, the big guy looks like a good target."

"Sounds good to me," the man in pinstripes took aim and cocked his hand behind his head. "You ready for this big guy?"

Cyborg crouched in preparation. "Ok, the most famous player in baseball history is about to throw you a fastball. You can take him," Cyborg said attempting to psych himself up. In an instant the red ball was hurtling towards him. His eyes narrowed as he realized, "No I can't." The ball hit him solidly in the midsection knocking him to the floor. Aeacus strode over to the fallen Titan and touched Cyborg with his sapling sending him to the penalty box with Beast Boy.

"Not so easy is it?" Beast Boy mocked his friend. Cyborg looked down, grabbed a water bottle, took aim and squeezed its contents in Beast Boy's face. "Have some water and shut up," he dryly replied.

Starfire walked over and picked up the ball unsure what to do with it.

"Hey Babe, look at the funny bird," the man in leotards said.

"Come on you dame, get a wiggle on will ya. I may be dead but we ain't got all night!" the man in pinstripes said impatiently.

Starfire looked down at her clothes. "I don't believe I'm wearing a wiggle," she said unsure what to make of the two shades' comments.

Morpheus groaned hearing his shades' outdated insults. He walked over to them. "You guys have really been out of it for awhile; try wallflower."

Both of the shades shook their heads in confusion then shrugged. "Come on wallflower; show us what you've got," the man in pinstripes said in a thick Brooklyn accent.

Starfire's jaw dropped and her eyes grew green in anger. "I am not a wallflower!" she shouted then hurled the ball with great speed crushing the man in pinstripes. The ball quickly bounced back to towards Starfire who scooped it up and took aim at the second offender.

"Oh dear," was all the man in leotards could say before he was struck down. Aeacus walked over to the fallen shades, touched them with his sapling and the shades disappeared with a wail of agony.

Morpheus walked over and picked up the ball. "Ok, this has become quite tedious." Two sets of additional arms sprouted from his torso. Each hand held a red ball. Morpheus first took aim at Robin and hurled a shower of balls at him. Robin attempted to avoid the cloud of balls that descended on him but was struck several times. Morpheus quickly reloaded his hands and hurled another wave at Starfire who suffered the same fate as Robin. Aeacus quickly touched both players sending them to the box with Beast Boy and Cyborg.

Robin leaned over the wall and shouted in protest. "Come on Aeacus, how about some help here?"

Aeacus looked up then turned to Morpheus and waved his finger in disapproval. Morpheus smiled and his extra appendages disappeared.

Raven picked up one of the balls and looked at Morpheus. The immortal placed his hands on his hips and shot her a confident look. "Well it looks like it's between you and me now. Come on, throw the ball, all I need is one." Raven hesitated in frustration.

"Man, she's sunk." Beast Boy commented. "You know, those are some nasty looking uniforms," he continued.

Cyborg slapped the back of his head. "Come on, think positive," he countered then looked down at the situation. "Black and pink, what were they thinking."

"Come on Raven!" Robin shouted down in encouragement.

James looked up from his paper taking note of the scene. He propped his feet up on the table jostling the jar causing it to roll off the table and smash onto the floor releasing Raven's powers. "Oh dear," he said to himself feigning concern before turning his attention back to his paper.

"Maybe I should have taken fewer passes to the library during gym," Raven said to herself dreading her situation. She looked back to her friends and noticed a dark form slithering towards her. "What's this?" she said as she quickly realized what was approaching her. The form slithered to her foot and Raven could feel the tendrils of her powers work their way back into her body.

She smiled in anticipation. "Hey Morpheus, catch this!" All of the balls rose up under Raven's restored powers and hurtled towards the stunned immortal.

"Oh no," was all Morpheus had time to say before a hail of balls consumed him knocking him to the floor.

Aeacus walked over to Raven and raised her hand in victory then disappeared. The other Titans shouted their approval. Raven walked over to the fallen immortal who was still seated on the floor hugging his knees to his chest. She offered her hands and helped him to his feet. Morpheus looked up then gladly took her hands. Raven pulled him to his feet then flew them to the ledge where her friends met her with a boisterous welcome.

"Way to go Raven, you totally wrecked him!" Beast Boy cried as he slapped her back in congratulations. Raven briefly shot an annoyed look at her friend, but then quickly relented.

"Thanks guys. Now can we get out of these cloths, I'm having bad flashbacks," she directed her attention to her former captor.

"Oh come on, you look cute in pink," Morpheus replied with a half smile. Raven scowled and the immortal reluctantly agreed to her demand. "Very well then, but I rather liked them." In an instant the Titans reverted back to their original costumes.

"Well, how did it go?" Persephone suddenly came forward.

"I'm afraid we won't be staying," Raven replied with a slight tinge of triumph.

"See, mortals are more than capable opponents," Persephone lightly lectured her son.

"Yes, and I'll keep my word, though I'm bound to be grounded for decades," Morpheus replied.

"It's a shame I won't be around to see the look on your dad's face," Raven chided.

"I'll draw a picture for you," Morpheus quickly replied.

"James, get the chariot out. We need to take our guests home," Persephone announced.

James nodded and headed towards the stables.

"Hey mom, can I drive?" Morpheus asked with a slight glint of hope.

"Oh, don't even think about it," Persephone quickly countered.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Return**

Persephone led the group to the stables where a large black chariot lay just outside the stable's main door. The chariot was trimmed in gold and glistened in the gloomy underworld light.

"Cool wheels," Cyborg added as he ran his hand over one side. The other boys followed his lead and inspected their mode of transportation. "I'm still partial to the T-car though," Cyborg quickly added.

"Well wait until you see the engines," Persephone quickly countered. "Oh, I do like to ride my husband's chariot. I don't get out as much as I should."

James brought out a team of four Nightmares strapped together. Their coats were black as night, their eyes burned red and their hooves singed the ground they strode on. The Titans looked in awe as the team was lead to the front of the chariot. James halted them slightly ahead of the main hitch then backed the team into place.

Morpheus looked on in disgust. He and Raven stood slightly behind the others. There was no way he was going to be a passenger on his father's chariot when other more suitable modes of transportation were available. Morpheus grabbed Raven's hand and pulled her towards the stable. She didn't protest but looked back to see if the others had noticed their departure. Morpheus left her at the stable door and proceeded inside. Moments later he emerged riding a Nightmare of his own. He reached down offering Raven his hand. She took it and the immortal quickly hoisted her onto the front of their mount. Morpheus pressed his heals back on his steed then leaned forward as their Nightmare quickly bounded by the others. James held on tightly to his team as they jostled nervously against each other as Morpheus and Raven shot by. A portal opened and Morpheus, Raven and their steed disappeared as screams of agony echoed in the still underworld air before closing behind them.

"That boy," Persephone lightly muttered under her breath.

Morpheus and Raven exited the portal into the cool ocean air. Moonlight gave faint illumination to the beach area where they had emerged; the Tower glowed in the distance. Their mount slowly trotted across the beach as the ocean waves broke dully on the shore.

"Morpheus, can you do me a favor?" Raven whispered seductively to her companion. Morpheus nodded in agreement. "Get off!" With that Raven unceremoniously pushed the immortal from their mount. Morpheus grunted heavily as he crashed onto the shore. Raven looked down and smiled wryly as her eyes began to glow a dull red. She pressed her heals back and the Nightmare let out a screaming whinny of approval before bolting forward.

Raven's mount raced along the shoreline splashing through the waves as they washed up along the beach. Beneath her she could hear the hissing of steam as the beast's hooves drove through the ocean waters. Her hair and cape flapped in the night air as the beast reached a full speed. She leaned forward and pushed herself up in the stirrups as the rhythms of the beast's hooves resonated through her body. The Nightmare began gasping for air and its pace quickened yet again. The night sky quickly filled with dark clouds as a storm blew up and blotted out the moon.

The city lights turned crimson as Raven began to feel the power of her mount pass through her. Terrified screams filled her ears. She could feel a dark force rise up within her. Behind her she could sense a dark wave of agony cresting and threatening to crash over the city and scour everything in its path. She would be the Dark Queen; no one, not even her friends would offer resistance. The world would kneel before her in fear and utter agony. Her heart raced in her chest, beating harder, matching the gallop of her mount. Her head spun in the dizzy array of her new-found dark powers. Lightning flashed across the sky followed by a loud crack of thunder.

"No!" A faint voice rose up from the back of her mind. That voice rippled forward sweeping the dark vision away before it. Raven shut her eyes and gradually pulled back on the reigns of her mount leaning back in the stirrups. The Nightmare grunted in protest then reluctantly glided to a halt. She collapsed forward on her mount

"Raven?" Morpheus' voice gently prodded her. A bright flash filled the sky followed by a another sharp clap of thunder. Raven remained slumped forward on her mount; her head pressed on the back of the Nightmare's neck as rain cascaded down her face and dripped from her nose. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath. Raven continued to pinch her eyes shut trying to vanquish the dark vision from her mind.

"No, I won't do it," she meekly pleaded with herself. A fit of sobs consumed her.

"Raven, it's over." Morpheus quietly assured her. The rain continued to fall in sheets.

Raven wearily slid off the Nightmare and into Morpheus' waiting arms. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself as her legs quivered under her weight. She slowly opened her eyes; Morpheus' face was cast in a faint red light, his hair was matted to his head as the rain dribbled off his face. Lightning flashed again illuminating the shore briefly as another wave of thunder rolled across the sky. Raven looked over at her mount who's head had craned backwards to glance at his former rider. Its eyes glowed powerfully through the rain casting a deep red glow over the couple. Steam blew out its nostrils as a sick sulfur smell arose from its simmering hooves.

Raven shivered as the cold rain sank into her weary body. Morpheus reached around her shoulders and pulled her hood over her head. "You need to get out the rain; it will be the death of you." He smiled at her as she struggled to regain her composure. "He almost had you Raven. You are half demon you know. The temptation of shadow will always be there." His voice rose as a faint whisper over the tumultuous roar of the rain. Morpheus clasped Raven's hands and gently lowered them from his shoulders. His hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. This he pressed it into Raven's hands.

"Call me sometime. Maybe we can finish that drawing we got started on." Raven looked down at the phone in her hands. Morpheus stood back from her then made his way over to the Nightmare. He pulled himself up on his mount firmly grasping the reigns. "The others will be here shortly." He pulled the reigns to one side and the Nightmare grunted and cantered back around and started to slowly stride away. Morpheus looked back at Raven. "Sweet dreams," he called back to her before pressed his heals back causing his Nightmare to suddenly break into a full gallop. In a flash he was gone leaving Raven shivering in the rain.


End file.
